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Manor House

Howdy folks.

So I'm still jazzed about the idea of a small, self-contained keep where a wizard or some kind of noble would live. I searched my photo archives for an interesting model to play around with for a quick sketch and wouldn't ya know I found one. The base model was that of a series of small buildings, all connected with a small, wrap-around wall. There's no great courtyard or battlements but it is, at least partially, a self-contained living space.

The idea was simple: Combine the separate buildings and their functions into as few spaces as possible. I kept the original idea of a corner tower with an attached hall. I also added a functional building off to the south side where staff might live or something.

The surrounding wall is only eight feet tall so it's probably not going to keep out a hoard of goblins but will definitely keep the public at a distance. I would guess that this design could fit in a town or village or just at the edge of a village - perhaps on a small hill.

I tucked the entrance into the tower in a raised stair that hugs the 'hall' to give it a more reserved look - as though you were being slowly drawn into the grounds to find other nooks and crannies to explore. I wanted to explore the idea of a unique window so I added a small 'attachment' to the side of the wall to make a window-seat. I could easily imagine the noble's children curled up in it waiting for father to come through the gates and return home.

Speaking of windows. I only added windows to the sides of the buildings that faced into the center. I know that one of the main walls would be a 'fire' wall; where the fireplace and chimney would be located but I have no real reason why I didn't include the others for windows. To me it suggests that even though this is a fairly 'modern' design there's still the concern of attack. If you don't have windows that face outside then it makes it harder for people to hurl things at you through them.

I added a small side-building almost as though it were a shed or something. I'm not sure what could be in there but I could easily see some vine-covered lattice on one side. Perhaps a gardening shed or the like?

I was tempted to include a stable on the grounds but settled to make the corner building some kind of 'utility' structure with a small door. I could always add in a larger door for a carriage but then I would need to enlarge the main door or add in a second gate through the walls.